Deck 4: Workforce Focus

Question 1

Management teams are specially empowered work teams whose members gather to solve a specific problem and then disband.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Creating a culture for high performance begins with senior leadership's commitment to the workforce.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Employee involvement (EI) refers to any activity by which employees participate in work-related decisions and improvement activities,with the objectives of tapping the creative energies of all employees and improving their motivation.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A team is said to be in the "storming" stage when team members agree on roles,ground rules,and acceptable behavior when doing the work of the team.

Question 5

Job design refers to how employees are organized in formal and informal units,such
as departments and teams,within an organization.

Question 6

Using a structured problem-solving process helps teams to mitigate issues that might lead to storming.

Question 7

Herzberg's Two-Factor theory states that factors such as safe working environment,adequate pay,and a reasonable level of job security are effective in motivating employees to work harder.

Question 8

The workforce management system proposed by Frederick Taylor failed to improve productivity in organizations.

Question 9

The Taylor philosophy established an adversarial relationship between labor and management.

Question 10

Empowerment requires employees to step outside their traditional roles and make decisions previously made by managers.

Question 11

In the adjourning stage of a team's life cycle,the team members cooperate with each other to solve problems and complete the goals of their assigned work.

Question 12

Empowerment,teamwork,and good working environment motivate employees intrinsically.

Question 13

Employee engagement fosters creativity and innovation.

Question 14

Natural work teams are usually cross-functional,as they work on specific tasks or processes that cut across boundaries of several different departments.

Question 15

Employees who participate in team activities feel more empowered and receive better training in both job-related and problem solving skills.

Question 16

Strategic human resource management relies on proven approaches to improve organizational performance.

Question 17

Teams organized to perform entire jobs,rather than specialized,assembly line-type work are referred to as quality circles.

Question 18

The nominal group technique helps to achieve consensus among team members by providing a way to prioritize and focus on important project objectives during the project definition stage.

Question 19

Problem-solving teams and project teams work more on an ad-hoc basis to address specific tasks or issues,often relating to quality improvement.

Question 20

Job enlargement is a work design approach that motivates employees by giving them more authority,responsibility,and autonomy rather than simply more or different work to do.

Question 21

According to the "engagement index" created by Gallup,employees who fall under the category of "not-engaged employees" undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish.

Question 22

Traditional hiring practices have been based on cognitive and technical rather than interpersonal skills.

Question 23

Strategic human resource management differs from traditional HR practices in that strategic human resource management:

A)views people as exploitable resources.
B)focuses on long-term,current,and future needs.
C)relies on proven approaches.
D)responds only to stated needs for system development.

Question 24

Which of the following activities is a part of workforce management?

A)Procuring the resources to carry out the production process
B)Identifying new markets for a product
C)Developing a long-term strategy for the organization
D)Assisting in design of work systems

Question 25

The most common approach to assess worker perceptions and satisfaction is through a formal survey.

Question 26

Which of the following "conditions of collaboration," proposed by Kendall and Bodison,creates a congruency between what the organization stands for and the personal beliefs of the individual?

A)Respect
B)Trust
C)Communication
D)Aligned values

Question 27

_____ is the function performed in organizations that facilitates the most effective use of people to achieve organizational and individual goals.

A)Marketing management
B)Product management
C)Workforce management
D)Brand management

Question 28

According to Herzberg's Two-Factor theory,which of the following factors is an example of a maintenance factor?

A)Recognition
B)Advancement
C)Safe working environment
D)Achievement

Question 29

Which of the following is true of the workforce management system proposed and designed by Frederick W.Taylor?

A)The system failed to improve productivity in organizations.
B)The system focused on training the workers and foremen on planning the process rather than just meeting the productivity standards.
C)The system changed many manufacturing jobs into mindless and mundane tasks.
D)The system succeeded in exploiting the knowledge and creativity of the workforce.

Question 30

As managerial roles shift from directing and controlling to coaching and facilitating,managers who deal with cross-functional problems,benefit more from horizontal movement rather than upward movement in narrow functional areas.

Question 31

According to Herzberg's Two-Factor theory,which of the following factors is an example of a motivational factor?

A)Nature of work
B)Adequate pay
C)Safe working environment
D)Reasonable level of job security

Question 32

According to Hackman and Oldham's work design model,"experienced meaningfulness" is a psychological state that refers to the need of workers to:

A)be accountable for the quality and quantity of work produced.
B)know how their work is evaluated and the results of evaluation.
C)obtain information about the accuracy of their performance on a timely basis.
D)have the feeling that their work is a significant contribution to the organization and the society.

Question 33

The term "employee involvement" refers to:

A)the art of creating conditions that allow all employees to complete their work,at their own peak level of efficiency.
B)an organization's ability to ensure sufficient staffing levels to accomplish its work processes in order to meet seasonal and varying demands.
C)how employees are organized in formal and informal units,such as departments and teams,within an organization.
D)any activity by which employees participate in work-related decisions and improvement activities with the objective of improving their motivation.

Question 34

The process measures that are used to assess workforce effectiveness include rate of growth,employee turnover,and absenteeism.

Question 35

According to Hackman and Oldham work design model,Which of the following core job characteristics is most likely to have an impact on employee's experienced responsibility?

A)Autonomy
B)Task identity
C)Skill variety
D)Task significance

Question 36

_____ refers to how employees are organized in formal and informal units,such as departments and teams.

A)Workforce engagement
B)Work design
C)Workforce capacity
D)Job design

Question 37

Which of the following is true regarding the employee suggestion system?

A)It decreases workforce flexibility.
B)It leads to poor interpersonal relationships in the workplace.
C)It leads to lower levels of motivation.
D)It improves workers' reasoning ability and leads to higher levels of peer recognition.

Question 38

An organization that has a strategic orientation to human resource management will:

A)focus on short-term immediate needs rather than future needs.
B)rely on proven approaches in designing and implementing policies and procedures.
C)adapt to changing business needs through innovative programs and systems.
D)focus on responding to stated needs of the organization rather than predicting unstated needs.

Question 39

The term "workforce engagement" refers to:

A)the ability of an organization to accomplish its work processes through the knowledge,skills,abilities,and competencies of its workforce.
B)the extent of workforce commitment,both emotional and intellectual,to accomplishing the work,mission,and vision of the organization.
C)the art of creating conditions that allow the workforce to complete their work at their own peak level of efficiency.
D)the ability of an organization to ensure sufficient staffing levels to accomplish its work processes and successfully deliver products and services to customers.

Question 40

According to Kay Kendall and Glenn Bodison,which of the following "conditions of collaboration" refers to believing in the inherent worth of another person?

A)Purpose
B)Values
C)Trust
D)Respect

Question 41

The term workforce capability refers to an organization's ability to:

A)ensure sufficient staffing levels to accomplish its work processes and successfully deliver products and services to customers.
B)create conditions that can motivate all employees to accomplish their work at their own peak level of efficiency.
C)accomplish its work processes through the knowledge,skills,abilities,and competencies of its people.
D)create job satisfaction among employees by engaging them in their work and making them a part of the "fabric" of the organization.

Question 42

Which of the following stages of a team's life cycle takes place when team members disagree on team roles and challenge the way that the team will function?

A)Storming
B)Norming
C)Performing
D)Adjourning

Question 43

In a team's life cycle,the stage of _____ takes place when the issues of the previous stage have been worked out,and team members agree on roles,ground rules,and acceptable behavior when doing the work of the team.

A)performing
B)norming
C)storming
D)forming

Question 44

According to Hackman and Oldham work design model,a job is said to have high _____ if it permits workers freedom,independence,and authority to exercise personal control over the work.

A)autonomy
B)task identity
C)task significance
D)skill variety

Question 45

Which of the following is a process measure that helps to assess workforce effectiveness?

A)Employee turnover
B)Job satisfaction
C)Number of suggestions made by the employees
D)Perceptions of teamwork and management effectiveness

Question 46

Ergo Industries,which manufactures automotive parts,had taken various measures to improve the quality of the products.The product-line managers at the company had the authority to stop production if they found the components to be defective without the approval of the senior management in the company and take measures to resolve the issue.This authority motivated the managers to perform their jobs better.According to Hackman and Oldham work design model,which of the following core job characteristics is influencing the performance of managers in the above scenario?

A)Skill variety
B)Autonomy
C)Task identity
D)Task significance

Question 47

According to Hackman and Oldham work design model,"skill variety" is a core job characteristic that refers to:

A)the degree to which the job gives the participants the feeling that they have a substantial impact on the organization or the world.
B)the degree to which the job requires the worker to use a variety of talents.
C)the degree to which the task permits freedom,independence,and personal control to be exercised over the work.
D)the degree to which the worker can perceive the task as a whole,identifiable piece of work from start to finish.

Question 48

According to Hackman and Oldham work design model,_____ is the degree to which a worker can perceive a task,as a whole,identifiable piece of work from start to finish.

A)task significance
B)skill variety
C)task identity
D)autonomy

Question 49

Stella works as a customer service executive at a firm that manufactures computer systems.She was motivated to perform her job effectively,as she was aware that her job of helping customers to resolve technical issues had a direct impact on the performance of the organization.Which of the following job characteristics,as identified by Hackman and Oldham in their work design model,is motivating Stella in the above scenario?

A)Task significance
B)Autonomy
C)Skill variety
D)Task identity

Question 50

Which of the following is true of the job enlargement approach to work design?

A)It results in lower production costs and reduces fragmentation of jobs.
B)It allows workers to learn several tasks by rotating them from one to another.
C)It leads to lower product quality.
D)It leads to lower worker satisfaction.

Question 51

_____ is an approach to work design that improves a worker's job by including several tasks rather than one single,low-level task.

A)Job enrichment
B)Job rotation
C)Job enlargement
D)Skill variety

Question 52

Nathan,a sales manager at a consumer electronics company,motivated his sales executives by providing them regular inputs on their performance and also on what is expected of them from the company.The team had also developed a system through which the sales persons could analyze their performance based on customers' comments.According to Hackman and Oldham work design model,which of the following core job characteristics is motivating the employees to perform better in the above scenario?

A)Autonomy
B)Task identity
C)Task significance
D)Feedback from the job

Question 53

Teams that are organized to perform entire jobs,rather than specialized,assembly line-type work are known as _____ teams.

A)management
B)natural work
C)virtual
D)quality

Question 54

Which of the following practices will lead to effective recognition and rewarding of employees?

A)Tying rewards to immeasurable performance so that employees provide more attention to quality rather than quantity
B)Giving individual rewards rather than team rewards because team rewards can ignore the contributions of individual employees to the team
C)Rewarding behavior,not just results
D)Rewarding employees only through cash rewards as money is the most important and effective motivating factor for most employees

Question 55

Kenneth who works as a process associate in a company is unable to achieve a worklife balance.His personal problems are affecting his job performance.Even though he spends most of his time in office,he is not able to perform his job effectively.According to the "engagement index" developed by Gallup,Kenneth will fall into the category of _____.

A)actively engaged employees
B)not engaged employees
C)engaged employees
D)actively disengaged employees

Question 56

The process of subjectively evaluating the quality of an employee's work is known as _____.

A)employee involvement
B)empowerment
C)workforce engagement
D)performance appraisal

Question 57

Which of the following types of teams in an organization is usually cross-functional?

A)Project team
B)Self-managed team
C)Natural work team
D)Quality circle

Question 58

A food manufacturing company motivates its employees to perform well by giving them more responsibilities and authority to make decisions.The company believes that giving more authority to employees makes them more dedicated and committed to their work.Which of the following terms best describes this approach to job design?

A)Job enlargement
B)Task identity
C)Job rotation
D)Job enrichment

Question 59

Organizations can assess worker satisfaction by:

A)measuring the improvements in team selection and planning processes.
B)analyzing data related to time taken by the management team to respond to employee suggestions,and the number of suggestions implemented.
C)assessing the employee understanding of problem-solving approaches and the frequency of use of quality improvement tools by the employees.
D)conducting a formal survey that includes questions regarding quality of worklife,teamwork,opportunities and training provided,and leadership.

Question 60

_____ refers to an organization's ability to ensure sufficient staffing levels to accomplish its work processes and successfully deliver products and services to customers,including the ability to meet seasonal and varying demands.

A)Workforce engagement
B)Workforce capacity
C)Employee involvement
D)Workforce capability

Question 61

Rational thinking skills have been successfully taught at American Honda for many years in a _____.

A)web-based training course
B)purely instructor-led workshop version
C)virtual workshop and forum
D)self-paced,asynchronous training program

Question 62

Define workforce management.What are the activities included under workforce management? What are the objectives of an effective workforce management system?

Question 63

What is the goal of the final phase of American Honda's three-phase learning model?

Question 64

Describe the second phase of American Honda's three-phase learning model.

Question 65

Describe the steps taken by the HR team at Hewitt Associates to improve the productivity and growth opportunity for CS representatives.

Question 66

Discuss the first phase of American Honda's three-phase learning model.

Question 67

Hewitt Associates uses _____ analysis to determine the most important drivers of retention for CS representatives.

A)correspondence
B)regression
C)principal component
D)independent component

Question 68

Which of the following models is used by American Honda for quality improvement?

A)Three-phase learning model
B)Customer-supplier model
C)Enterprise process model
D)Six Sigma Plus Continuous Improvement Model

Question 69

Discuss the final phase of American Honda's three-phase learning model.

Question 70

How has the hiring criteria changed in the recent years? List some of the innovative approaches being used by organizations to recruit employees.

Question 71

Why is it important to assess workforce engagement and satisfaction? How do organizations measure workforce effectiveness?

Question 72

What advantages does employee engagement offer to an organization over traditional management practices?

Question 73

The primarily challenge laid out for American Honda's associate learning and organizational development group was to:

A)do away with the delivery of training for employees.
B)increase training time for employees in a classroom setting.
C)minimize the use of technology in training employees.
D)ensure a tangible transfer of skills to improve internal service quality.

Question 74

Innovation,customer satisfaction,efficiency,and _____ are central to American Honda's success.

A)branding
B)marketing
C)advertising
D)positioning

Question 75

Which of the following is the biggest cost in any customer service turnover model?

A)Lost productivity costs
B)Separation processing costs
C)Replacement hiring costs
D)New hire training costs

Question 76

List some of the advantages offered by teamwork.

Question 77

In Hewitt's employee engagement framework,resources and processes fall under the _____ component.

A)people
B)company practices
C)work
D)total rewards

Question 78

What learning approach did American Honda use to support the overall emphasis on growth and quality?

A)Instructor-led training
B)Self-paced learning
C)Blended learning
D)Pure virtual online learning

Question 79

What are the five success indicators of American Honda's three-phase learning model initiative?

Question 80

How did the HR team at Hewitt Associates retain proficient CS representatives?